Small Christian families can foster national integration: Bosco Penha

PANAJI: Small Christian communities (SCCs) living a life of love, sharing and caring can become a catalyst for national integration, Auxiliary Bishop emeritus, Bosco Penha stated.

Speaking at the first national convention of SCCs at Old Goa, he stated that as Catholics live among non-Christians, their way of life is observed by people of other faiths and good is diffusive of itself.

"Small Christian Communities could arouse, in society, the desire to imitate the life in these communities so that entire neighbourhoods, including non-Christians, are infected with this same way of life," he said.

The SSCs should transform into small human communities, where people of all faiths learn to live a life of faith sharing and caring, he told the faithful at the convention. Further, he said that SCCs can be an antidote to a culture of individualism, consumerism and materialism.

He called for systematic development of SCCs, where every person is invited and given the opportunity to reach out to one's neighbour in whatever need he/she is and in whatever way we can respond, according to our resources and circumstances.

Today's world is replete with individualism, consumerism and materialism and it should be transformed into community, sharing and God/love.